System of guide lights



March 22, 1921 1,621,878 J. H. HAMMOND, JR

SYSTEM oF GUIDE LIGHTS original Filed Feb. 26. 1920 2 Sheets-sheet 1 March 22, 1927. 1,621,878l

J. H. HAMMOND, JR

' SYSTEM OF GUIDE LIGHTS Original Filed Feb. 26. 1920 2 4Sl'leets-Sheei. 2

IN VE N 70H Cil Patented Mar. 22, i927.

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Some ol' the objectsf of the present invention are to provide means fordeterinining the, course Vof a moving body lironia distant point of, observation; ,to provideineans .for

body; a signal Iona vessel in! a change'of the .course of l the vessel Where# by a plurality of"predetermined signals' can Vbe separately set Ito indieate the -tfue1 courseA of: the vessel at. any: time; vto

provide` a plurality of-' ,gjuidel lights arranged to. be separately I lighted 'in'. predetermined com binationsv arranged With-respect (to dif ferent courses of `the vesselfwhereby "any lighted Combination identifies ,the true; course ofthe vessel;l and toproyide other improvements asy Willghereinafter appear.

In theaaceoinpzjtnyiyng drawings Figi" 1 represents a AperspeetiVesof'a nia-rime Vessel equipped with'y guide lights embodying. one forni of he presentiinvention;` Fig, `,2 rep I'eSeIlfS, theguile lights' et. night 21S, they ,epfl pear in severaliunljiing,positions of the ves sel, .the arrows indi'veating'"theseveral 'direqtQnS Withespecft t0. commenlpont of bbservation ;A and Figa is,.a diagran1of ljthe wiring' :for the several circuits. Y

Referring to the ,drawings onewforin ot the present mentifm`4 COrHPrSeS Systeme 0f guide `lights mounted upon I a movableV body 1() suehlas a boat,l torpedoor, any other suit able body,r` the inoyernents `of` Wllich'fare to be observed from a distant'pointv' f' Fior the rHrPQ'SeA-,Of dtj vershnz; the. 100W frointhe sternofthe boat lQfyvlien theboat isloperetfnee .n.ehtfthere isle mest 211 51X- edly .hwunted in@ vertical,po'striafliaeent the bow fthe .boat '10 Wliile'a similar inast 12 is.v mounted in a Vertieal position adjacent the sternof the boat. l'Iletvsro mastsll and 12 Y are PIQQra-bly. spaced` a distance whiah; willypeimt their rlete ,PQStiOeS to` be realily deterniiiedkbyan obseryer setiy 12, While -gtheet n15 is interposed between theme.

1n order thatthe bow of the boat 10 may 'be readily identified in any running position o'fthe boat rthe ,set fof lights 13 ycomprisesourylanips, 20, 1213522-and28two of Which 2O and 22; avrei arranged? l horizontally 'vin alignedelation lparallel to the longitudinal Y axis'oi' the boat 10,:1While the lamps 21 and 2are also-horizontally disposedr andV in* aligned V4relation butatl righ-t angles tothe aforesaid airis! AS Val-nieans-tory-limiting.the area! oi the beain offlightpi'ojeted from eaohof the-' lampe; eaehilainp' is enclosed Within aire#- fleeting shield 2fl ,'jthe sides of `Whiehdiyerggej i'espeetij'iely at ASnell-1an angle andgthey arl? rangement -i's suh that theA -s'hieldf 24 y for the lempQOf'projectsli'ts bean-'1 450;. to the leftof theibowofithe-boat and 1152 to theV right oftliebow,I similarlytlie pertflampiZl has its beam proj etjt'ed -by reflector through a 91) 03 quadrant between fthe beams of; the lamps-2Q and-22;' the la-mp*22 has itsl'beam projected byits reflector 24j/15,0 to the lepftorthe'Y sternv and l5?- to the right ofthe stern of the-boat and the lamp 23A fhas its beamVV proj eeted by its reflefetorrQl; ithrough*afquadraht of QO-Qfbe-rr As a `further means ofVI identifying-the stern mast 12fron1 the rbow naast V11 .andpro vid-ing -for --a definite-'combination ofligllt sig'nal7^ WitlvtheA 'lights A13 'on'the rmast v11,- the set-of lights' v14;'f'e'ornprises two laihps125 an'dffQG arranged -in horizontal alignment- Withitlieir. 'Coin-Irion axis perpendi'eular to Y the longitudinal axis otfthe boat 10.y E'aohsrof the; lamps 25a-H6126' isfproyded with are--l flector A` hi lr is preferably ,of the saine type asjthat vdescribed '-,in'A connection `With the set of lightsl and orthis reason each of these rerleetors l:willi/"be, identified bythe saine referene numeralg24f and/'utilel construction will bearnfof `@fromA evaehflof the fla-naps i in Y a Y QOgquadrantgthe onel beanrfshowing from the n LLA right and 45 to the lel't of the longitudinal axis of the boat 10. The set of lights 16 consists of three lamps 33, 34 and 35 arranged in a similar manner to the set of lights 15, each likewise having a reliector 24, but in addition there is a lamp 36 pointing toward the stern of the boat and having a rellector 24 which projects the beam of light in a quadrant 45 to the right and 45o to the left of the longitudinal axis of the boat 10.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the arrangement of the several sets of lamps is such that combination light effects may be arranged, each combination representing a definite direction or" movement of the boat. rlhus by reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the boat is in'position A and travelling in the direction of the arrow A., or within the dotted lines the combination of lights identifying this direction of movement will be lamp 23 of the forward mast 11 and lamps 26, 31 and 34 of the respective sets of lights 14, and 16; when the boat is travelling in the direction B as indicated by arrow B, or within the dotted lines the combination of lights is lamp of the set 13 and the lamps 32 and 35 of the respective sets 15 and 16; when the boat is in position C travelling in the direction of arrow C, or within the dotted lines the combination of lights is the lamp 21 of the forward set 13 and lamps V25, and 33 of the respective set of lights 14, 15 and'16; and when the boat is proceeding in the direction D, as indicated by arrow D, or within the dotted lines but two lamps are shown, the lamp 22 of the forward set-of lights 13 and the lamp 36 of the rear set 16.

Therefore to an observer stationed at a distant point it is possible to tell exactly not only the position of the boat but also the course it is following whether moving towards or away from the observer, or at an angle to such courses or in a course broadsideto the observer. For example when two lights one above another and a third light to one side are visible the observer, knowing the predetermined signal, is advised that Vthe boat is moving toward the observer on a course forming an angle of less than fortytive degrees on either side of the line of ob servation (B Fig. 2). Similarly the remaining combinations of lights are respectively predetermined for certain courses and hence the observer is advised at all times as to the true course of the boat. In addition to keeping the observer informed as to the boats course and direction the relectors 24 prevent the lighted lamps from being visible except within the prescribed area of observation and no lights are visible from the opposite side of the boat at all, or outside of, a 90 quadrant.

For the purpose of lighting the several lamps above described electric means are preierably employed and in the present instance a battery 40 is arranged to supply current to all of thelamps by way of leads 41 and 42 from one side of the battery 40, the lead 41 connecting the lamps of the set 13in multiple and the lead 42 connecting the lamps of the sets 14, 15 and 16 in multiples.

ln order to cause only one combination of certain predetermined combinations of the lamps of the several sets to be lighted at a time, the other side oi' the battery 4() has a lead 43 connected to a brush contacter 44 which is arranged to bear against the outer periphery of a cylindrical hub 45 of conducting material. To this hub 45 a radially dis posed arm 46 is rigidly secured to form one terminal of a number of possible circuitsl which are separately closed when the arm 46 is moved into contact with any one ofV tour segments 50, 51, 52 and 53, each of which is of conducting material located in the path of the arm 46 and insulated one from another by insulating blocks 54. The segment 50 has a lead 55 arranged to complete the multiple circuit including the lamps 23, 26, 31 and 34 whenever the arm 46 rests in contact with the said segmentJ 50; the segment 51 has a lead 56 arranged to complete the multiple circuit including the lamps 20, 32 and whenever the arm 46 rests in contact with the said segment 51; the segment 52 has a lead 57 arranged to com plete the multiple circuit including the lamps 21, 25, 30 and 33 whenever the arm 46 rests Vin Contact with the said segment 52; and the segment 53 has a lead 53 arranged to com plete the multiple circuit including the lamps 22 and 36 whenever the arm 46 rests in contact with the segment 53.

For causing the respective combinationsl of lamps to light in accordance with'predetermined positions of the boat considered with respect to the vertical axis of the boat, the series of segments 50, 51, 52 and 53 are iixed in any suitable manner to the body of the boat 10 while the hub 45 and arm 46 are fast to a rod 6() as an axis which is maintained fixed in space by a gyroscope Iin a well known manner. Thus any deviation ot the boat about a vertical axis will cause the segments 50, 5.1, 52 and 53 to move with re spect to the arm 46, thereby bringing the `contacter arm 46 into contact with the re spective segments one after another in accordance with the angular deviation, Ae each segment is engaged by the contactor arm 46 the lights of the combination corre spending to the lastdirection of movement of the boat are extinguished and are immediately replaced by the new combination which `corresponds to the new course of the boat.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a complete unitary system of guide lights has been devised whereby the position and course of a distant movable body, such as a boat or torpedo which is arranged to be controlled from a distant station, is always known to the observer at that station. By providing a plurality of predetermined indicating signals, one for every possible direction of movement of the body and arrang ing a system for automatically changing from one signal to the other in accordance With. a change of course of the body, it is possible to accurately follow the course ot the body at night. Furthermore the signals disp-layed are only visible Within a prescribed area Within the field of vision of the observer and consequently enemy observersl outside of this restricted area are kept in ignorance of the approach or movements ot the boat.

l/Vhile but one ot the manyr forms oi' the present invention are here shown and described, it will be understood that the invention might be embodied in many other forms `Without departing from the present invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, l

claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States: y

l. n a system of guide lights, body, a plurality of diiterent combinations of lamps mounted on said body, each combination corresponding to a predetermined direction ot movement of said body, means to automatically select the combination cor-- responding to the course of said body, and means to light only the lamps of the selected combination.

2. ln a. system ot' guide lights, a movably body, a plurality ot different combinations ot' lamps mounted on said body, each com-A bination corresponding to a predetermined direction of movement of said body, means to automatically select the combination corresponding, to the course of said body, means to light only the lamps of the selected com bination, and means to limit the beams of light from said selected combination to a prescribed area.

Signed at Gloucester in the county of Essex and State ot Mass., this 14th day of Feb. A. D. 1920.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR.

a movable 

